Brilliant homage to the kaiju and mecha genres, though lacking in some departments.

Rating: 8/10 (24 July 2013)

Cheesy, clichéd dialogue; bland, generic characters; bad acting on the parts of the lead Charlie Hunnam and supporting actor Idris Elba(the role would've been perfect for Samuel L. Jackson, like seriously); and a fairly predictable plot where gaps of logic abound; however, the movie is astounding when it's being what it's meant to be: an homage to Japanese Kaiju(think Godzilla) and giant mech films. While obviously a loving tribute to these genres by director Guillermo del Toro, it manages to be incredibly original with none of the monsters or mechs being clearly derived from any creations I've seen in the genres before(and each one having incredible and distinct designs, particularly on the part of the of the Jaegers). The action scenes are, as you can expect from a summer blockbuster, the main draw and are absolutely spectacular. Michael Bay, take notes, this is how you handle giant robot fights; not meaningless heaps of metal flying confusingly throughout the scene, but crisp, clear shots of brilliantly designed badass robots doing badass robot things. The monsters get plenty of credit here too, as they were absolutely spectacularly done. If you're looking for awe-inspiring, get-your-blood-pumping, edge-of-your-seat, hyphen-hyphen-hyphen, action, this is the movie for you. I will say, the few interesting characters got far too little screen time. Both Charlie Day and Ron Perlman had fantastic performances and I wish the two had more interactions, but it is what it is. Worst character award goes to Burn Gorman's character, but his portrayal his decent enough. Beyond the basic premise of "Monsters attack earth, we build giant robots to fight them," the plot is fairly lacking. Some good character back story, and, again, Perlman and Day's subplot is absolutely lovely, but overall its predictable, uninspired, and has too many holes for my taste. But, again, the plot is second to the homage and action in this film, which is where the film truly does shine. Overall, I would strongly advise seeing this film.